Volkswagen Club of Pakistan (VWCOP)

Lets all contribute pics and memories to this timeless classic that has faithfully served generations. It is my 1st car memory and my dad who is a Beetle enthusiast at one time had a total of 4 beetles in our garage Here's a little history of this miraculous German wonder: 'The history of the Beetle really goes back to pre 2nd world war Germany when Ferdinand Porsche had a vision of a mass produced vehicle that was affordable to the average German, an idea that was shared with the young Adolf Hitler who himself could not drive, but was a car fanatic. Hitler was apparently influenced by the achievements of Henry Ford and his production lines - reading Ford's biography while in prison during 1923. Porsche had previously worked on some other small cars that used many elements later to be included in the Beetle. The Type 32 prototype NSU of 1934 was an air-cooled rear engined four cylinder horizontally opposed powered car that used torsion bar suspension and featured beetle-like styling.' --- source - Google.co.uk lets keep the posts rolling - add pics of bugs you've owned or own! I'll add my dad's bug family pics as well ... I guess he fell in love with this oddly shaped car after he drove it down to Pakistan from Germany!!!! .. stories of that wonderous journey keep us entertained whenever our family gets together

From what I have personally seen, the VWs locally even came with Sanyo radios. Ive never seen Matsushitas but it may be possible.

I believe these were dealer installed items as opposed to factory installed Blaupunkt, Motorola and Bendix units we are familiar with while trolling the www. I have had detailed discussions with some experts in this field and they agree these may be the local dealers installed items back in the day. I am sure if we have an Old Timer grilled for this info, some clues may come forward.

The Sanyo was a perfect fit but required a pre cut radio blanking plate to accept into the dashboard.

VW radios (and antennas) were mostly dealer fitted on customer request (even in the US and if my information is correct, Europe. It is quite possible that the local dealership (Modern Motors) added these units and got the Sanyo or in this case Matsushita (that went on to be popularly known as National)

Why the secrecy? Lets share the name of the company that is producing these. (unless ofcourse you would like to be their sole distributor)

There is no sole distributor stake in it for me, its an one off arrangement.

I collected all my Germany buyings for my 79 Thing in Germany with the same german person who would be sending these bits through an old Pakistani friend (which we've once talked about when we were looking for a reliable channel of bringing in the parts).

While he was at it, I asked this german person to get me rubbers that we may need to be shipped through my personal channel. But was informed that I should wait until February for dispatch of seals because a fresh run was in order. He got me pricing on the same and now I am waiting on my personal channel to ascertain the total shipping costs as my parts would already be leaving on January 31st so he will have to see the seals separately off, therefore the separate shipment pricing is awaited.

VW radios (and antennas) were mostly dealer fitted on customer request (even in the US and if my information is correct, Europe. It is quite possible that the local dealership (Modern Motors) added these units and got the Sanyo or in this case Matsushita (that went on to be popularly known as National)

I have one "now working" (repaired by Ustaad Mazhar in Multan) Matsushita/National radio that I rescued from a scrapped 66. The radio was original to the car as I took it off with the band selector myself from the cut up dash and no there was no custom cutting in the dash to fit it, it was fitted like a sleeve in the dash radio slot.

Same radio can be seen either on Patina's thread of in my pictures album here on PWs.

There is no sole distributor stake in it for me, its an one off arrangement.

I collected all my Germany buyings for my 79 Thing in Germany with the same german person who would be sending these bits through an old Pakistani friend (which we've once talked about when we were looking for a reliable channel of bringing in the parts).

While he was at it, I asked this german person to get me rubbers that we may need to be shipped through my personal channel. But was informed that I should wait until February for dispatch of seals because a fresh run was in order. He got me pricing on the same and now I am waiting on my personal channel to ascertain the total shipping costs as my parts would already be leaving on January 31st so he will have to see the seals separately off, therefore the separate shipment pricing is awaited.

I am only interested in the company that would be doing the production run in February. It might be worth the while to consolidate the order but by sharing the information others may be able to order on their own if they miss your arrangement. I have previously bought products made by Vewib in Germany thru an intermediary in the US. The quality was great but the prices were higher than the US made items (understandably) I am only interested in establishing if it'd be cheaper to buy directly from the manufacturer and have it shipped to Pakistan as a regular import. item thru some importer who imports parts for Mercs etc.

His supplier for seals is http://vw-teile-vertrieb24.de/ from whom I am getting the fresh seals and not at the retail prices but wholesale prices at which Bob buys them so the prices are lot less than what they would be advertised/offered for in retail in the US.

This favoured pricing is owed to a mutual friend in France who also happens to be a supplier of BBT4VW not only in France but Belgium and Czech too from whom I recently bought a lot of parts for ELK.

So you're welcome to deal with either of the two companies on your own, on whatever terms you both could agree at, through whatever channel. My interest is limited to the fact that ppl actually could have a bite of cheaper GERMAN product than what anybody has to offer them here in Pakistan as of yet.

Thanks for the additional info. Both of these pictures were shared on Pakistan's Aircooled VW Registry FB page by the gentlemen credited above. You can see the original posts at www.facebook.com/PACVWR

@abid
i sold it to capital car deals back in about 2000, I've been looking for is ever since but have no idea what happened to it. If anyone sees it please ask the owner for his number, i want it back. The number was RIP-4830

thanks for the reply dude, yaar the thing is that, i have a lack of knowledge of the Beetle scene here. I would definitely like to rectify this situation and i believe that you guys can help me out.

First, after my observations I came to the conclusion that the ultimate Beetle to have is a 1303s, as i thought these were only available in 1600cc format, then yesterday i saw a 1300cc 1303s. What is the chakkar, and what about the plastic dash, does only the 1303s come with a plastic dash, or the 1303s is also available in no-dashboard format. And how great is there a difference between a other Beetles and a 1303s 1600cc.

As you can see I am totally 'paidal' in most aspects related to the Beetle. I would love it if anybody could increase my knowledge.

regards
autobanda

THE HISTORY OF THE BEETLE
The history of the Beetle started in 1934 when in the Hall of Berlin Adolf Hitler announced that the car had not to be an exclusive privilege of the rich. To Ferdinand Porsche, defined by him as "the most famous designer of all time", he entrusted the assignment to construct the Volkswagen (the people's car); and he did not limit himself just to the definition of the name, but dictated also terms about the peculiarities thet it had to have (speed, consumption, price, etc...).
In '36 the first 3 prototypes were ready (two sedans and one cabriolet) so that, a little bit later, Hitler entrusted the task to find out the suitable place to build up the factory of the future Beetle .
The place was located in a vaste zone of the Low Sassonia, in the surroundings of the castle of Wolfsburg of Earl Von Schulenberg, who was dispossessed of his land.
In '38 it took place the ceremony of the laying of the foundation stone of that factory which became (and it is still) the biggest car factory of automobiles in the world.
The name chosen for the future Beetle was KDF Wagen (Kraft Durch Freude Wagen), that is "Car of the force by means of joy"
It is no use saying that Porsche tried to set himself against such name, but the choice came from Hitler personally, and there was nothing to do.
In '39 the KDF-Wagen officially appeared at the Hall of Berlin and it was such a modern and revolutionary car to make the competitors look like nothing (see Technique).
In September '39 the Second World War began and the civil production of the Beetle was converted in military production; that had much importance for the future of the Beetle because on account of the war it had to sustain the hardest test which no other car had ever been submitted before (and today).
And it got off very well: in any climatic condition (from torrid Africa to icy Russia) and in any sort of ground (in the mud, in the sand and the snow) the Beetle never stopped indeed.
In this period the KÜBELWAGEN (car "made like a bucket", built in many versions), and the SCHWIMMWAGEN (car "which could swim", be able to achieve the speed of 10 Km/h in the water), and many other military models were built.
In May '45 the war was over and it remained up only the third part of the factory of Wolfsburg, seriously damaged by the bombardment.
They thought to demolish it, but thanks, above all, to the Major Ivan Hirst (who it had been trusted to) the English changed their mind and, some years later, gave it back to the Germans, entrusting the task to manage it to Heinz Nordhoff.
In the meantime the workers, with the last materials saved from the bombardment, had laboriously started building the Beetle again, but the production had very low levels.
And it was just Nordhoff to do the "miracle": from a few hundred cars produced in '46 the productions went to 19.000 in the '48 and 46.000 in the '49 in a continuous and exponential growth which slowed down only in the middle seventies.
In that period of time, many technical improvements were continuously introduced, however without never touching the original look and formulation of Porsche's project.
And with regard to Porsche: where was he?
Porsche was prisoner in France even accused by Pierre Peugeot of war crimes (while it seems that Porsche himself had helped him, preventing that he was arrested by the Gestapo).
In '47 he was declared innocent and was set free, but he could go back to Germany only in '49.
It seems that during his homecoming, seeing many Beetles along the motorways, he was moved nearly to tears.
He died on 30 January 1951 without being able to know what "incredible career" his Beetle would have made in future.
In those years the exports began in other countries : Holland, Denmark, Luxembourg, Sweden, Belgium, Switzerland and United States.
In '53 the Brazilian production started with the affiliated firm "Volkswagen of Brasil" and the "Volkswagen of America" was built too; in '64 another overseas branch was built, the "Volkswagen de Mexico", and in '66 a factory opened in South Africa too.
In '55 the millionth Beetle was built and, for that occasion, it was made in gold metalized colour, with brocade seats and embellishments in little glass pearls on the chromizings.
In the meantime in all the Countries where the Beetle was constructed or exported the sales grew constantly: in Italy in '63, 42.000 Beetles were registered and in America who wished to buy it, had to wait up to 5 months.
In '67 the look of the Beetle was remarkably modified: the headlight became round and vertical, the bumpers squared and increased , the tail lights magnified and the electrical system was strengthened (from 6 to 12 Volt).
Even in '70 there was an important newness: in fact, the Super Beetle (mod.1302 and 1302/S) was born.
Substantial differences regarded the appearance (a front hood more "plumper") and the mechanics (McPherson front chassis and rear axle with double flexible shafts) that were further modified in '73 with the Super Beetle mod.1303 (curved anterior glass and new dash-board stuffing).
As it was already said, in the course of the years improvements never gave up, and it is interesting to notice that they were almost always ahead of their time and, therefore, destined to set a fashion; like the water resistant sun roof cover in PVC (1955), the tubeless tyres (1957) or the acrylic painting rather than the nitro painting (1949).
Besides, in confirmation of the reached reliability and of the high qualitative standards as about the used material as the assembly lines, it is important to notice that already in '54 the running in time was eliminated.
Since '74, periodically, special series were built in a limited number, which had very particular inner fittings and colourations.
The Jeans, the City, the Big, the Special Bug, the Fioriserie, the Winter, the Samtrot, the Silver Bug were built, and in '87, in order to celebrate the 50th year since its birth, the last one of the series was born, considered the best by the most: the Beetle of the Jubilee (Jubiläums-käfer).
It was metalized grey and it had athermic, blue-tinted windshield, printed steel sports rims, the steering wheel of the Golf GTI and greys inners with strip of several tonalities.
In the middle seventies sales began to decrease and in '74 they decided to move the Beetle production from Wolfsburg to Emden in order to make place to the new car: the Golf.
In the '78 the European production definitively stopped and the Beetle continued being built only in Mexico, from where it was imported in Europe.
In '76 the Super Beetle sedan building stopped, and it will be built only in the cabriolet version, but only until 1980.

Recently also the production in Mexico has been stopped, anyway the Beetle is not likely to disappear from the roads of our planet: great part of the 22 million of models built cover Km and Km every day along the roads all over the world, asking in exchange only a little bit of oil and petrol.

And their owners are sure of one thing: if they love it and they treat it well, "he" will never betray them.

Gentlemen, those of you who are interested in getting their AC VWs featured in an international media issue originated in Itlay, please contact through PM/email (pacvwr@googlegroups.com) no latest than February 2nd, 2013, with atleast three high resolution pictures featuring your Vdubs and a few words on history of your cars.

Volkswagen Club of Pakistan is pleased to announce a Mega VW show at the Convention Center Islamabad on Sunday February 10, 2013. Free entry, free registration, big gifts for the first 100 cars to register. Exciting activities all day long.... Get your VW's ready for the big day as there are going to be exciting prizes in many categories. Check our Facebook page www.facebook.com/VWCOP for details. Registration starts on Monday. Phone number and e-mail address to be posted on Sunday night.